Still Affections
by with eyes looking up
Summary: Sasuke had been gone for so long, and it hurt to think about him. What happens when a certain someone comes back, though...? SasuSaku OLD.


**Still Affections**

Sakura blinked up at the bright cerulean sky, her eyes troubled with confusion. Ten years later from that day, she had the sudden urge to come to this place. It still held so many memories for her.

Because of him, her heart stayed true and she hadn't even kissed another man. Even poor Lee had gotten turned down harshly when he persisted to ask her why she wouldn't go out with him. She felt bad about it, but enough was enough, especially when he started to talk badly about...

She still stayed true, hoping-praying- he would find his senses and come back to her. Her hands shook at the memory. _'After all this time, you're still annoying.'_

She looked down at the ground sadly, closing her eyes and clasping her hands to her heart, which was beating painfully slow, as a picture of him popped into her head.

All her memories often revisited her when she came to this place, filling her with sadness, regret, and pain.A wind blew, sending her hair flying, and someone stopped in front of her from out of no where.

She opened her eyes, preparing to beat Naruto into a bloody pulp if he was the one daring to disturb her, today of all days.

She told him not to.

In fact...

She told everyone not to disturb her.

"Naruto…" she started, looking up slowly, "...if that's you..."

There was a small chuckle. A somewhat_ familiar_ chuckle. "The dobe's still alive? I thought for sure he'd get himself killed by now."

Her eyes widened as her head shot up to see him staring down at her, smirking, a hand resting firmly on his hip.

"Sasuke?" she whispered, longing in her voice, though she thought it an illusion. Maybe it had finally gotten to her, and she'd gone crazy...

He blinked at the tears pouring from her eyes, as she slowly stood up, shaking. "Sakura...I told you I had unfinished business to take care of. I killed Itachi, so you don't have to worry about it anymore, I'm ba-" he tried to tell her, but stopped when she clung the his waist, soaking his bare chest with her tears.

_'He's real...please be real...'_

"You came back...you're alive...it's you...it's really you..." she hiccupped, holding onto him tighter, as if letting him go would be like giving him permission to leave again.

He dropped his arms to wrap around her shoulders, and blinked his eyes, resting his head on her shaking one, having nothing else to do. How could he even think to push her away now? She'd been waiting for him…this whole time "Sakura...please stop crying," he whispered, her body shaking against his.

Tears still ran down her already glistening cheeks, but she stopped shaking and hiccupped every once in a while, still clinging to his middle for all it was worth, not preparing to let go. There was a short silence, before she was abruptly picked up and Sasuke set her against his chest tenderly, whispering soft words of affection as she closed her eyes, gripping his open shirt as the two of them sped through the trees at lightning speed.

"Sakura...open your eyes."

She refused to; to open them, and see his face, the one that caused her so much hurt and pain, yet the one she missed and loved so fully and completely.

It would be too much in her current state.

He sighed lightly, sitting down and stroking her hair, looking thoughtfully into the distance, as her breathing, so hitched as it was before, slowed down and her fists, curled into tight balls and gripping the fibers of his shirt, slowly unfurled.

"There...you okay now?"

She didn't answer, instead burying her face in his chest and hugging him again. "I..." He looked down at her, pulling away slightly to see her tear stained face, staring at his shirt, but her eyes were slightly glazed over. "I thought...I thought you weren't coming back..."

He softened, pulling her away and looking into her eyes that were watering again. "Please stay, Sasuke," she whispered, looking him in the eyes, shaking at the thought of him gone again. "Don't leave me alone again!"

He hugged her, burying his head in the nape of her neck. "Trust me...I'm back for good. I'm not going to leave you."

She pulled away, suddenly angry, and stood up, turning away. "How do I know that? How do I know you're not lying?!"

There was a small silence, in which a gust of wind blew her hair into her face as she stared at the shining lake before her. "Because..." She didn't move, not caring for his answer, until he wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Because, Sakura...I love you." She froze, her body going rigid.

Always, she had wanted to hear those same words from that same person, and she finally did, but now her voice chose to betray her?

Curse fate.

Curse it to hell.

He continued, blinking slowly, as to not disturb the peaceful scene around them. "When we were kids, we both knew you liked me...it was obvious by the way you acted, how you were always worried, how you would beat Naruto to a bloody pulp if he even laid a finger on me...you were always there. I, being the idiot I was, was too blind to see it, until that one day I left...do you remember?

She remembered clearly, and choked out an answer, her body slowly relaxing. "You said...you said I was annoying..."

He mentally cringed, his hopes of her not remembering that destroyed, and hastily continued.

"Yes, but only so you wouldn't follow me. If anything happened to you, I wouldn't have known what to do with myself, so I said that to keep you away. But, you also said something that hurt me. You said that you'd come with me, that you'd join Orochimaru as well, just to be with me, because if I left, it would be like you losing everything. Do you remember?" he whispered in her ear, his voice tickling her neck.

"It was..." she told him, leaning against his chest and staring at the sky. "It was hell. You left and I just...I broke down. No one knew what to do for me, because the only thing that would comfort me was you." He put a hand on her cheek, and she leaned against it, closing her eyes. "Sakura-chan..."

She opened her eyes and turned to look at him, heart beating wildly against her chest so hard, it felt bruised.

He took the moment she turned to cup her chin in his hand and press her mouth to his in an enveloping kiss. She didn't hesitate to return it, and smiled against his lips, her eyes watering as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

After a minute, they broke apart, and she hugged him, fresh tears leaking out of her eyes.

But, there was one difference- this time they were of exultation and joy. "Promise me..." she whispered softly into his neck, smiling faintly, "Promise me you'll stay with me."

"Stay with you?" he asked quietly, chuckling.

"Sakura-chan," he whispered, smiling into her hair. "I want to marry you."

**A/N: Couldn't resist, had to do it!!!! Hope you SasuSaku fans –and others- liked it! **


End file.
